InDepth | India-US Trade Deal: Don't Compromise India’s Strategic Independence, Sangh Parivar Tells BJP

The recent statement by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the India-US trade deal discussions have reached a plateau has been cheered by not just the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leadership, but also by prominent affiliated organisations of the Sangh Parivar. The affiliated organisations of the RSS—the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS)—have asked the Union government to harden its stance and ensure that there is no compromise on maintaining energy security in the country.

The message from the RSS on the India-US trade deal is clear. The ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants the Union government not to give into pressure from the US and make sure that the trade agreement must be signed only if the terms of the agreement are based on equality and protect the interests of the nation.

The SJM has gone a step further and told the Union government that it is better to not have a trade deal with the US if the government is forced to compromise on energy security and strategic independence. “We will be happy if the trade deal with the US does not happen. If it has to happen, then it must be on our terms. Just like the US wants to protect its own interests, we too must protect ours,” says Ashwani Mahajan, SJM’s national co-convener.

Whether it is purchasing oil from Russia or allowing genetically modified (GM) crops in India, both the SJM and the BKS leadership have categorically stated that just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in November 2019 to protect India’s interests, similarly, the Union government must take steps to safeguard India’s strategic autonomy. “We have been talking about the India-US trade deal since 2019, and we have maintained that the trade deal should happen on our terms. The US wants to dump its agricultural produce and dairy products in India. This will impact farmers, especially small farmers,” says Mahajan.

Need to Overhaul Policy

The RSS affiliates want Modi to strike a deal with Russia and continue to buy subsidised crude oil. The SJM leadership has also told the Union government that it must be open to the idea to restart purchasing oil from Iran even in the middle of a war between Iran and the US. “The purchase of oil is a strategic decision because it impacts the country’s energy security. The government must buy crude oil from any country that gives us cheap oil. We cannot be guided by the US. Where to buy oil should be India’s decision and not guided by the US,” says Mahajan.

Senior RSS leaders and its affiliated organisations believe that the caveats from the US for a trade deal—not purchasing oil from Russia and Iran, opening up the agricultural sector to allow GM crops—are part of a big game being played by the US against India. The organisations have said that the NDA government must come up with a policy to completely ban GM foods in India and also stop GM cotton varieties that were introduced in India in 2002.

“We have given 26 years to ensure GM crops are not allowed in India and we will continue to resist it. If we study the pattern of farmer suicides in India, then the GM variety of cotton crops is possibly one of the reasons. How can we allow GM crops when even Indian scientists have raised their doubts?” asks Mohini Mohan Mishra, BKS’ national general secretary.

The Sangh Parivar organisations also want the Union government to roll back its recent decision to impose a merchant discount rate (MDR) on the unified payments interface (UPI), where merchants would be charged 0.4 per cent on transactions above Rs 2,000. While the Union government has postponed the decision till after Diwali, senior RSS and SJM leaders want the government to either abandon the project altogether or delay it endlessly. Senior SJM leaders feel the move must be opposed because it is being implemented under pressure from the US. “This will adversely impact the people, especially the small traders. It will most likely help some US companies, with hardly any revenue gain to the government,” adds Mahajan.

Eye on the Upcoming Polls

The RSS is persuading the BJP and the NDA leadership to either reconsider or change the recent decisions as it could impact the government’s popularity with the people. Senior SJM and BKS leaders point out that the purchase of cheap oil from Russia, Iran or any other country is essential to help reduce inflation. The RSS also feels that the decision to impose MDR will lead to resentment against the government from small traders.

The organisations say that the BJP leadership has to choose its steps carefully in the coming days because the NDA government is already witnessing popular protests from students due to the paper leak in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test examination and the alleged tussle within the Election Commission of India.

The RSS says the government must be cautious because of the 16 states going to polls in the next two years leading up to the 2029 general elections. The impact of the upcoming electoral battle can also be understood from the fact that the BJP and the Congress will be up against each other in a direct contest in 13 of the 16 states going to polls before the 2029 general elections.

The message from the RSS to the Union government is to ensure there is flexibility in its approach. Senior RSS leaders believe that since the BJP is heading the NDA, the final call on policy issues must rest with the prime minister. “There is no room for confrontation between different organisations of the Sangh Parivar. There can be differences of opinion on issues related to national importance, but all organisations have to be flexible to understand the point of view of the other 40 organisations affiliated with the RSS. The bond between the Sangh organisations should not break,” says Dilip Deodhar, a Nagpur-based observer on issues related to the RSS.

Gyan Verma is associate editor, Outlook